The left-wing central government was also put to the test in the regional elections in Spain. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was recently cornered by many problems. The opposition smells morning air.
Roughly six months before the parliamentary elections in Spain, the left-wing minority government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was subjected to a tough test. Regional and local elections were held in the EU’s fourth-largest economy, described by the newspaper El Mundo and other media as a “dress rehearsal” for voting at the end of the year.
Sánchez cast his vote in Madrid. To the cheers of his supporters, who shouted “Presidente, Presidente!” chanted, and after one or two taunts from some of his opponents, the socialist politician called on Spaniards to go to the polls. “The more people vote today, the better for our institutions, the stronger our democracy will be,” the 51-year-old told journalists. By 2:00 p.m., voter turnout was 36.7 percent – slightly higher than four years ago.
Around 36.6 million people were asked to vote. In twelve of the total of 17 Comunidades Autónomas, which roughly correspond to the German federal states, the regional parliaments were newly appointed. In addition, the city councilors and mayors of the more than 8,000 municipalities in the country and the two autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa were newly elected. Reliable election results were only expected during the night.
Heated election campaign
Debates about the central government’s economic and social policies were at the heart of the heated election campaign. Inflation, the consequences of the Ukraine war and several affairs have recently increasingly cornered Sánchez. A new sex criminal law proved to be a fiasco in the “super election year”. It should be the government’s flagship project. But suddenly it opened the cell doors prematurely for dozens of sex criminals – and also led to a heated argument within the governing coalition.
The largest opposition party, the conservative People’s Party (PP) with the new party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who was elected just over a year ago, sensed a dawn. “These elections are a sign of what people want for the future,” said Núñez Feijóo after the vote. He had previously referred to the vote as a “primary election”. However, he continued to evade the important question of whether he supports cooperation with the right-wing populists from Vox at a regional or national level.
Exit totally open in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and Valencia
Sánchez’s Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) won the last municipal elections in 2019 with a total of 6.6 million votes. The lead over archrival PP was around 1.6 million votes. According to observers, the results in the hard-fought region of Valencia, previously ruled by the Socialists, as well as in the major cities of Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and Valencia, were also important in the current election. According to the latest surveys, the outcome there was completely open.
Meanwhile, a renewed triumph for the head of government of the Madrid region, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, was considered certain. The pugnacious 44-year-old, who has been referred to by the media as “Spanish Trump” in reference to former US President Donald Trump, is considered a star of the PP and is hoping for an absolute majority.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
